Muslim-Christian Relations in the Era of Prophet Muhammad: Review of Najrān Delegation’s Case in Modern Context

Muslim–Christian relations are as mature as Islamic history itself. Historical evidences state the first interaction of Muslims and Christians occurred in 5th year after nabuwwah (615 AD) when Muslims migrated to Ḥabshah (Abyssinia) and second contact was established after immigration of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to Madinah. After getting socio-political stability in 8th hijrī (629 AD), Muhammad (PBUH) sent letters and ambassadors to different statesmen and religious leaders to spread the Islamic Mission and Message globally. One letter was also sent to the chief Bishop of Najrān. In response, the chief Bishop of Najrān accepted the invitation and personally came to meet the Prophet (PBUH) with his reputed delegation. The beloved Messenger (PBUH) warmly welcomed this delegation. As a result, the peace agreement was reached after some theological debate and discussion. Later on, throughout history, the relations between Muslims and Christians have been in situation of up and down. It’s also a fact that over the centuries, the Muslims-Christians relations had sometimes been one of enmity, sometimes one of rivalry, competition, and encounter. In spite of it, the Najrān’s delegation case has a historical significance in Muslim-Christian relations in the literature of both religions. Therefore, in this study efforts were made to explore the event of Najrān delegation as theological foundations for Muslim-Christian relations in times of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and how can we get benefit from it in modern era. Moreover, this study perceives that the case of Najrān delegation was the first practical interaction between Muslims and Christians of that age. Hence, we could get benefit from it with its modern applications and interpretations. The analytical, comparative and historical approaches have been adopted in this study with qualitative paradigm. I compared and analysed the case in Islamic and Christian context and then gave recommendation for its application.

Prevalence of Suspicious Ultrasound Findings in Patients With Mammographic Focal Asymmetry at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi

Background: Breast cancer has become the leading cancer in women in both economically developed and developing countries, accounting for 25% of all cancers diagnosed worldwide in 2012. The cornerstone of breast cancer control remains early detection in order to improve outcomes and survival. Thus far the only breast cancer screening method that has proved to be effective is mammography. Although mammography is the mainstay of early detection, a fundamental limitation is its low inherent contrast difference between the soft tissue structures in the breast. Mammographic specificity relies on the ability to distinguish benign from malignant breast lesions based on their margins and morphological features. When breast malignancy presents with subtle mammographic features such as focal asymmetry, its specificity is reduced. Overall, the larger portion of false -negative mammograms comprises of cancers which are visible in retrospect as ‘minimal sign’ cancers. Additional imaging with ultrasound is useful to further characterize areas of mammographic focal asymmetry, and sonographic findings are used to determine the need for subsequent biopsy for histological confirmation. However, mammographic focal asymmetry has historically not been subjected to adequate follow up, and there is limited data in radiology literature regarding ultrasound findings in its evaluation. Objective: To determine the prevalence of suspicious ultrasound findings in patients with mammographic focal asymmetry. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, whereby women presenting for mammograms at the Radiology Department with a mammographic descriptor of focal asymmetry (as per the American College of Radiology guidelines) and recommendation for additional imaging evaluation with breast ultrasound were consecutively recruited. The whole breast ultrasound images were evaluated for normal and abnormal findings, and allotted a final imaging assessment categorisation using the ACR Breast Imaging – Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS®) ultrasound lexicon. Ultrasound BI-RADS® 1-3 categories were assigned as benign findings, while ultrasound BI-RADS® 4 and 5 were assigned as suspicious findings. A total of 141 patients were enrolled. Analysis: Data collected were entered into a spreadsheet application (Excel for Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Corporation) and analysed using Stata® version 11.2. The proportion of suspicious ultrasound findings in mammographic focal asymmetries was calculated. Results: A total of 141 patients met the eligibility criteria during the study period and were enrolled into the study. The median age was 50 years, with a range of 31 to 79 years. The prevalence of suspicious ultrasound findings in patients with mammographic focal asymmetry was 7.1%. There was equal involvement of right and